Current Bariatric Teams
Photo used with permission
Interprofessional pre-bariatric surgery evaluation teams usually include a registered dietitian, social worker, psychologist, and an internist, endocrinologist, or surgeon (Sherf-Dagan et al., 2018).
Interprofessional post-bariatric surgery teams may include advanced practice nurses, dietitians, social workers, case managers, pharmacists, psychologists, physical therapists, and physicians (AOTA, 2015).
Postoperative behavioral interventions can be effective at treating depressive symptoms, anxiety, and binge-eating disorders in bariatric surgery participants (Dawes et al., 2016). However, individuals who undergo bariatric surgery have continued to face nutritional, occupational, and role challenges postoperatively.
There are few well-defined occupational therapy programs that are a part of bariatric teams in the US; however, the potential for occupational therapy within well-defined teams is immense (Forhan & Gill, 2013).
References
American Occupational Therapy Association. (2015). Occupational therapy’s role in bariatric care. Retrieved from https://www.aota.org/~/media/Corporate/Files/AboutOT/ Professionals/WhatIsOT/HW/Facts/Bariatric%20fact%20sheet.pdf
Dawes, A. J., Maggard-Gibbons, M., Maher, A. R., Booth, M. J., Miake-Lye, I., Beroes, J. M., & Shekelle, P. G. (2016). Mental health conditions among patients seeking and undergoing bariatric surgery: A meta-analysis. JAMA: Journal of the American Medical Association, 315(2), 150–163. doi:10.1001/jama.2015.1811
Forhan, M., & Gill, S. (2013). Cross-border contributions to obesity research and interventions: A review of Canadian and American occupational therapy contributions. Occupational Therapy in Health Care, 27(2), 129–141. doi:10.3109/07380577.2013.785642
Sherf-Dagan, S., Hod, K., Mardy-Tilbor, L., Gliksman, S., Ben-Porat, T., Sakran, N., . . . Raziel, (2018). The effect of pre-surgery information online lecture on nutrition knowledge and anxiety among bariatric surgery candidates. Obesity Surgery, 28(7), 1876-1885. doi:10.1007/s11695-018-3134-y